This year, we published our fourth annual Pulse Report and the 2018 edition was jam-packed with industry insights, opinions and expert commentary. Over 1000 event professionals across conferences, exhibitions, festivals, gigs, classes, endurance races, and everything in between, disclosed their plans for the year ahead, including areas for growth, budget plans and their selection of marketing channels.

As always, a few surprises appeared in the results…

Organisers expressed a move away from relying so heavily on SEO but, after even more Google algorithm changes since then, can the same be said for 2019?

In 2017, 27% of respondents said that they would spend more on tools and technology, while just 18% of 2018 respondents said the same. Will this declining trend persist in 2019 or has innovative new technology and improvements to older tools made a difference?

Content was king for 2018, with 22% of organisers demonstrating an intention to recruit for their content teams, but will the same be the case next year? How will content needs change and how will organisers continue to engage their audience in the noisier online world?

And – the big question – how has email marketing fared the stormy seas of GDPR? Is it still a top channel for event organisers when promoting their events?

We are excited to compile the 2019 report but before we do that, we need to hear from you – your opinions and plans are what count! Please take a few minutes to fill out our survey. Thank you!